For over one thousand years the countries of the Slavic world have played a prominent role in international life, and have provided our civilization with numerous writers, musicians, philosophers, religious and political thinkers, and scientists of note. The richness of the Slavic cultures has a special significance for Canada, since the vast influx of Slavs, which began in the last century, has contributed greatly to the Canadian cultural mosaic.

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers an extensive range of courses in Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech and Slovak, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, and Macedonian languages, literatures, culture, and film as well as in Slavic linguistics. Within this range there are courses suitable for inclusion in a wide variety of programs of study, whether or not the student has studied any Slavic language previously. Some students may specialize in Slavic Languages and Literatures, i.e. Russian, Polish or Ukrainian (see Programs of Study). Others may simply wish to gain a working knowledge of Russian or another Slavic language to aid their reading of important material in another field. Language study emphasizes small instructional groups, with some laboratory or conversational practice, and the use of literary materials.

Courses in the literatures and cultures of various Slavic countries explore the artistic, intellectual, and social currents of their civilizations, trace the literary history of each country, and examine the works of major authors. Many of our literature, culture, and film courses are taught in English and do not require special linguistic preparation.

The growing importance of Eastern Europe in contemporary affairs has had the effect of making academic study of this area especially lively and relevant. The student whose interest in the Russian or East European world is political, historical, or sociological can specialize in Russian and East European Studies, or pursue a course in Political Science, History, or Sociology, and at the same time take language courses, and perhaps selected courses in literature, in this Department. Students planning to specialize in Economics, Psychology, Mathematics, or any number of other fields, who have a special interest in the Russian or East European area, will find an advanced knowledge of Russian or of another Slavic language an important intellectual and professional asset.

Students intending to take a Program offered by the Department are asked to study carefully the Programs of Study and are urged to begin their language training as soon as possible. A Departmental brochure is available on request.

NOTE: Students with OAC Russian or equivalent will take the language sequence SLA 220Y1, 320Y1, 420Y1.

Heritage speakers of Russian or Polish with a high-level proficiency in French may be eligible for a joint Translation Initiative between the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures of the University of Toronto and the School of Translation at Glendon College, York University. This small pilot initiative (up to six students per institution per year) will prepare students for the professional field of multilingual translation and interpreting. The translation courses taken as part of this pilot initiative will count toward the Russian Language and Literature Major. Please see the “Translation Courses” section and consult the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures for eligibility.

Russian Language and Literature Minor (Arts program)

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1FCE at the 300+-level)

2 FCEs in Russian language and 2 FCEs in Russian literature, chosen in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator.

Russian Language Minor (Arts program):

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1 FCE at the 300+-level)

1. SLA245H1 and SLA246H1.2. Three additional FCEs in Russian literature and/or culture or interdisciplinary Slavic courses that have a significant Russian component.

South Slavic Studies Major (Arts program)

This program includes courses that cover facets of the literatures and cultures from the broader South Slavic linguistic territory as well as placing these linguistic, literary, and cultural traditions in a wider Slavic and European context. Students may take courses in the Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, and Serbian languages.

(6 FCEs or their equivalent, with at least 2 FCEs at the 300+ level, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level)

0.5 FCE in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes, or another half course approved by the program director, to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning competency required in the program.

South Slavic Studies Minor (Arts program)

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including at least 1 FCE at the 300+ -level)

1. SLA218Y12. Three FCEs in Ukrainian language, literature or culture, as well as interdisciplinary Slavic courses with a significant Ukrainian component. One FCE in Ukrainian history may be taken toward the program, in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator.

Faculty of Arts & Science Language Citation

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures participates in the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Language Citation initiative. Students may achieve this Citation in Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian. Students interested in completing the Language Citation in languages taught in the Slavic Department but not listed here should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Language study is a demanding and intellectually rewarding educational experience. Our students learn to communicate both orally and in writing in other languages and are thus able to experience other parts of the world in more intimate ways. Their access to other cultures opens doors for further study and employment. Students in our department also have the opportunity to read a vast array of world-renowned authors in the original languages, as well as works – normally not available in English – in other areas of study, for example, cinema studies, drama, folklore, history, intellectual history, philosophy, mathematics, and political science.

The Language Citation recognizes a significant level of achievement in language study. For course selection students should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator as early as possible since not every language course is offered each year. Students who begin language study at the Intermediate level should consult the Undergraduate Coordinator for approval of advanced literature and culture courses that may satisfy the requirements for the Language Citation.

The Language Citation in Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian is available to students who complete SLA257H1, SLA277H1, and an additional FCE in South Slavic literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-. The Language Citation in Macedonian is available to students who complete SLA209H1, SLA213H1 and an additional FCE in South Slavic literature or culture with readings and discussion in the target language with a grade of at least B-. Consult the Undergraduate Coordinator for approval of advanced literature and culture courses that may satisfy the requirements for the Language Citation.

The Language Citation in Czech is available to students who complete SLA204Y1, SLA305H1, and SLA435H1 with a grade of at least B-.

The Language Citation in Russian is available to students who complete, with a grade of at least B- , two FCEs: SLA220Y1, SLA320Y1, or SLA420Y1.

The Language Citation in Ukrainian is available to students who complete SLA208Y1 as well as one addditional FCE at the 300 level or higher from among the Ukrainian courses. Transfer language credits also eligible.Students should note that, as explained in the Language Citation section of the Degree Requirements chapter of this Calendar, the Language Citation is not equivalent to an academic program and that enrolment in a program is not necessary in order to earn the recognition bestowed by the Citation.

Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses

Course listing order

Courses are listed in the following order:

Interdisciplinary Courses

Translation Courses

Czech & Slovak

Polish

Russian

South Slavic: Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, and Serbian

Ukrainian

Note

The Department reserves the right to place students in the language course best suited to their linguistic preparation

Interdisciplinary CoursesFirst Year Seminars

The 199Y1 and 199H1 seminars are designed to provide the opportunity to work closely with an instructor in a class of no more than twenty-four students. These interactive seminars are intended to stimulate the students’ curiosity and provide an opportunity to get to know a member of the professorial staff in a seminar environment during the first year of study. Details can be found at www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/course/fyh-1/.

SLA102H1 Ukrainian and Russian Civilizations [24L]

A survey of major East Slavic civilizations through art, architecture, literature and religion. Includes the Scythians, whose battle skills and gold fascinated the ancient world; Kyivan Rus’ and its princes, monks and martyrs; the rise of the Cossacks; and Peter the Great, founder of the Russian Empire and of St. Petersburg. Taught in English, all readings in English.

This course examines the cultural history of Mediterranean ports and cities, with particular emphasis on Croatian cities in dialogue with cities in Italy and Greece, through works of art, architecture, and literature. Readings in English.

Introduction to the issues of the interaction between cultural expression and political life, with a historical focus on Central and Eastern Europe. The mutually influential relationship between artistic activity and political dynamics in modern societies is examined through literature, visual arts, drama, music, and film. Taught in English, all materials in English.

How does one cope with loss, be it a nose, a leg, a pet, a name, a lover, a battle, a fortune, or one’s sanity? Through literary texts from Central and Eastern Europe, we explore the trauma and poetics of losing, and the mechanisms of coping with and compensating for the lost object. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Literature about the Jewish community in Slavic countries. How do these Jewish minorities perceive and identify themselves? How are they perceived by others? Taught in English, all readings in English.

The role of forgery in cultural, national, and personal identities. A scholar “discovering” an “ancient” manuscript, a noblewoman in disguise joining the army, an impostor conning a provincial town, a writer faking political loyalty. Literary texts from Central and Eastern Europe expose the porous boundaries between authenticity and lies, highlighting the artificiality and vulnerability of social and cultural conventions. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Stealth powerhouses: quirky, unexpected works that transformed the ways fiction is written and appreciated. Books that defy expectations, define modernity, and remap empires and peripheries. Provocations to European tradition: Kafka, Gombrowicz, Čapek, Schulz, Khvylovyi, Krleža, and others. Readings in English.

SLA222H1 Forging Identities: The Roms of Central and Eastern Europe[24S]

Both in popular culture and the headlines, Roma (Gypsies) are often depicted as either romantic or negative. Roma and Slavs have interacted for centuries and this course examines the history of that interaction with particular emphasis on linguistic and educational rights. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Beginning with myth and legends of Medieval Central Europe and concluding with discourses of Enlightenment, we explore aspects of oral and written cultures, fine arts and architecture. The class examines myths, legends, and traditions of the region, which will help to illuminate similarities and divergences of several cultural trends.

Exploring the ways artificial creatures are presented on stage and on screen, this course introduces students to major issues in the study of theatre, cinema, and popular culture. Focus on case studies from Central and Eastern Europe. Taught in English, all readings in English.

SLA254H1 Stone Books to Sky Books: The Book as Institution, Commerce and Art[24L]

Evolution of the book and printed media in Central and Eastern Europe: legends (and forgeries) of ancient letters, mediaeval illuminated manuscripts, forbidden and "supernatural" books, hand-written and painted books of modernist and avant-garde artists, books as a way of living and dying. Readings in English.

The course introduces the student to the exploration of linguistic relations among Slavic languages and dialects, as well as to language contacts between Slavic and its neighbours. Language is viewed in connection with history, geography, mythology and religion, family and social structure, literature, and alphabets. Taught in English.

SLA256H1 Firebirds and Other Wonders: The World of Slavic Folklore[24L]

An introduction to the comparative study of folk narratives – fairy-tales, legends, epics, from Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Balkans. Topics include the structural and psychological analysis and interpretation of oral folk traditions; the cultural specificity of Slavic folklore; its adaptation and treatment in literature, music, and visual arts. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Focusing on great dramatic texts of Russia and Central Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries allows us to address the issues of dramatic form, theatre conventions, and performance practices while placing the texts in their rich cultural contexts. The interplay between literary and theatre and performance analysis returns us to some fundamental theoretical issues related to the questions about drama as an art form.

SLA287H1 Deceptive Splendors: The European South in Literature and Film [24S]

This class investigates the tropes associated with the European south (including the Balkans and the Mediterranean) as it figures in collective northern fantasies – eternal sun, exuberant passion, intransigent honor – and the more somber themes that they obscure including: economic crises, social inequalities, political exploitations, identity conflicts. The course asses how such issues are represented, addressed, negotiated and symbolically resolved in film and literature.

The course examines the genesis and evolution of the image of the Jew, central to all European cultures, from the theology and psychology of Christian anti-Judaism to their reflection in folklore, visual, plastic, and verbal arts, and to the survival of the imaginary Jew in secular forms. Special attention is given to the Jews of Slavic and East European imagination. All readings are in English.

SLA303H1 Literary Imagination and Jewish Identity in Modern Europe[24S]

An exploration of Central and East European authors writing in different languages but united by Jewish ancestry. We examine the responses of artists and intellectuals of Jewish extraction (Sholem Aleichem, Babel, Bialik, Heine, Kafka, Mandelshtam, Sforim, Zhabotinskii, etc.) to cultural secularization and modernity. Taught in English. Readings in English.

Captivating and elusive: the "new Jerusalem," Yehupets, a "Slavic Pompeii" and frontier city. This course examines Kyiv through works of literature, visual arts, architecture, and popular culture that reveal Ukrainian, Russian, Jewish, and Polish versions of the city. Gogol, Sholem Aleichem, Bulgakov, Vynnychenko, and many others. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Inspired by Angelo Ripellino’s “Magic Prague,” this class explores Prague as a palimpsest of different genres in works by Jan Neruda, Franz Kafka, R.M. Rilke, G. Meyrink, G. Apollinaire, B. Hrabal and others. Selected secondary texts illuminate questions of literary cityscapes, center and margins, multiculturalism and nationalism and magic. Readings in English and for the specialists in the original.

Synthesis of visual arts, music, and literature in the late Russian Empire-early Soviet Union. Baba Yaga's hut and levitating sculptures; symphony in words and the language of stars; from princesses and puppets to the first peeks into the fourth dimension. Kandinsky, Bely, Zamyatin, Malevich, and many others. Taught and read in English.

Trends in the history of European animated film, focusing on Central and Eastern European cinematic traditions. Aesthetics of animated image and peculiarities of animation as an art form. Films are analyzed in their artistic, cultural and political contexts. Taught in English, English subtitles.

This course examines the era inaugurated by the collapse of the state-socialist regimes in the former Eastern Bloc, marked by political turmoil, major economic restructuring, and social ambivalences. The course investigates topics such as: socialist legacy and nostalgia, mass emigrations and refugee crises, conflicts over national identity and borders, sociocultural anxieties about inclusion in the EU, perspectives on the future of socialist thought and practice in Eastern Europe.

Examines the multi-faceted nature of languages by comparing issues of language contact and conflict in the former Soviet Union and in Central and Southeastern Europe. Explores issues such as language standards, language rights, language conflict, and linguistic identity.

The essay: a prose form that observes, pursues and critiques ideas through exploratory techniques. Paradoxically characterized by a commitment to the personal and an orientation towards the public sphere, the essay challenges dogma, prejudice and conformity. Readings by Kiš, Milosz, Patočka, Benjamin, Lukács and Adorno (among others). Readings in English.

A study of the major issues of general aesthetics from the vantage points of Russian Formalism and Prague Structuralism. The course provides students with a theoretical grounding in textual and cultural analysis, introducing them to the history of modern literary and cultural criticism and aspects of artistic conventions and innovations. Taught in English, readings in English.

SLA496H1 Prague School Semiotics of Drama, Theatre and Cinema in Contemporary Context[24P]

Prague Linguistic Circle (founded in 1926) has informed a number of current theories of drama, theatre, and cinema. Many concepts of the Prague School semiotics provide tools how to analyze and address modern artistic trends even today. We will apply some of them to selected dramatic and cinematic works.

A year-long research project (primarily for majors in Slavic POSts) on an approved major topic in a Slavic literature or culture, or Slavic linguistics, supervised by one of the Department’s instructors. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

A semester-long research project (primarily for majors in Slavic POSts) on an approved major topic in a Slavic literature or culture, or Slavic linguistics, supervised by one of the Department’s instructors. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Czech and Slovak cinema of the sixties, generally known as the Czechoslovak New Wave, represents the ways the cinematographers viewed the past, examined the present and escaped into the world of fantasy. In addition, we will examine several theoretical, historical and cultural aspects of national culture and international cinematography.

This class explores the subversive power of literary, cinematic, and theatrical experiments of the 1960s and confronts them with the development of Czech culture during the so-called normalization that lasted until 1989. Topics include literary texts, cinema, and fine arts at home and in exile. Taught in English, readings in English and in the original.

SLA405H1 On the Waves of the Avant-garde and Beyond: Czech Literature of the 20th Century (formerly SLA405Y1)[24S]

The experiments of the 1920s serve as a point of departure for studies in Czech culture from the early 20th century to the present artistic innovations. Readings include works by Jaroslav Seifert, Karel Teige, Karel Čapek, F. Langer, V. Nezval, M. Kundera, V. Linhartová and others. (Offered every three years). Readings in Czech.

Texts of various genres representing several cultural epochs. Advanced students improve their reading skills.

For 2016 Winter: Václav Havel - a thinker, politician, and writer. Havel is one of the most complex European characters on political and theatrical stage. His multifaceted oeuvre includes essays, plays and speeches. This class will approach the complexity of his oeuvre and explore his development as a writer, public figure and a politician in the context of the recent political, literary and cultural history.

The course focuses on the topic of public places and private spaces in the works of 19th- and 20th-century Czech writers. A variety of texts by modern Czech authors are explored through the prism of contemporary narrative theory. Special attention to differences in styles and epochs.

This course explores the role of theatre and drama in Czech society by focusing on the most important modern Czech plays as well as on the concepts of the modern Czech theatre as represented by directors such as Burian, Honzl, Krejča and Radok. We will discuss seminal theoretical studies and topics such as dialogue, dramatic text, and puppet theatre. Taught in English, readings in English.

Basic vocabulary, essential morphology, simple sentence patterns. Regular language laboratory sessions. Reading of contemporary texts. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the language.

The goal of this course is to develop students’ Polish language skills, such as speaking, listening, writing, and reading, using new methods of the second language acquisition at a lower intermediate level. Many elements of Polish culture are also examined in the context of language and communication through readings of original texts, which form the basis for class discussions. The course uses authentic Polish materials (newspapers, short stories, poems, radio programs, movies, and songs).

This course is a continuation of SLA206H1. Develops speaking, listening, writing, and reading Polish language skills. Many elements of Polish culture are examined through readings of original texts, listening to Polish programs and songs, watching films and TV programs, which form the basis for class discussions.

Major cultural traditions, historical processes, myths, and figures that have shaped and redefined Polish civilization and national identity are problematized and contextualized with the help of works of literature, history, philosophy, political science, music, visual and performing arts. Readings in English (also available in Polish). (Offered in alternate years)

The Polish School in cinema, its predecessors and successors, their artistic accomplishments, major theoretical and thematic concerns, and their place on the map of European cinema. Films of Ford, Wajda, Polanski, Konwicki, Borowczyk, Has, Kawalerowicz, Zanussi, Kieslowski, and of the new generation of Polish film makers. Films and discussions in English. (Offered every three years)

Poland and Europe 1914-1945. As we commemorate the centenary of the outbrake of WWI, this cataclysmic event that launched the 20th century and was followed by another total war soon after still defines our view of the world and understanding of it. It may be time now to look anew at how various forms of expression, including literature, film, theatre, painting and sculpture produced during the two wars, between them or many decades later deal with the extreme and everyday experiences, with shattered worlds of individuals, ethnicities, and nations.

The course uses diverse and intensive speaking, listening, writing, and reading methods and materials. It introduces more complex elements of Polish culture through reading of original literary texts and texts of popular culture, as well as through analyzing other discourses. These materials form the basis for class discussions and home assignments. Students expand their Polish vocabulary (including phraseology) and learn about word and sentence structure. The course also focuses on improving writing skills.

Continuation of SLA 306H1. It uses a wide variety of methods and materials to polish and finesse the skills acquired in the previous courses or brought to class from other sources. It is an intensive writing course focused on improving writing skills.

Probes the paradoxes of politics, culture and everyday life by analyzing the complex coexistence of art and literature with changing cultural politics in a totalitarian and post-totalitarian system, with simplistic ideology and political dissent, and with prevailing myths about the West and the East. Readings in English (Polish for majors).

The amazing cultural transformations of Poland in the last fifteen years within a changing Europe. The impact of these changes on Poland's social consciousness and perception of identity, history, and nationhood. The most recent literature, fine arts, music, and popular culture. Readings in English (Polish for majors).

Study of drama as a literary and theatrical genre in its thematic and formal diversity in Polish literature from the 16th to the 20th century is combined with investigations of the role of the theatre as cultural institution in different periods of Polish history. Readings in English (in Polish for students in the major program). (Offered every three years)

Polish language course for heritage speakers and advanced students who want to master the language through interactions with broad and diverse cultural materials such as mass and popular culture, contemporary literature, film, and theatre, mass media and the Internet.

SLA436H1 Rebels, Scoffers, and Jesters: Polish Culture from Different Perspectives[24S]

An advanced course on artistic, political, aesthetic, philosophical, and ideological dissenters who questioned, undermined, and redefined the main traditions in Polish culture from the 18th to the 21st centuries.Readings in English (Polish for majors).

All students who have studied Russian outside the University of Toronto must take a language placement test prior to enrolling into a Russian language course. Contact the Department for test dates and times.

Native speakers of Russian are not allowed to enroll into any Russian language course, with the exception of SLA402/403 and linguistics courses (SLA330, SLA452). Native speakers may enroll into any Russian literature and culture course, and any Russian language and literature POSt (language requirement will be replaced with the equivalent number of literature and culture FCEs in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator).

Heritage speakers of Russian are allowed to enroll into a Russian language course only by special permission from the Russian language program coordinator, Prof. Julia Mikhailova (julia.mikhailova@utoronto.ca). Heritage speakers may enroll into any Russian literature and culture course, and any Russian language and literature POSt (if necessary, language requirement will be replaced with the equivalent number of literature and culture FCEs in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator).

Who are native and heritage speakers of Russian?For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a native speaker of Russian if s/he meets one of the following criteria:a) The student left Russia at the age of 10 or later.b) The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 and did elementary schooling in Russian.For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a heritage speaker of Russian if s/he meets one of the following criteria:a) The student left Russia before the age of 10.b) The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 but did elementary schooling in a language other than Russian.c) The student was born and/or grew up outside of a Russian-speaking country but speaks some Russian at home.

It is the responsibility of individual students to furnish documentation proving their native- or heritage-speaker status. In the absence of such documentation, the Department reserves the right to deny enrolment into Russian language courses. Heritage and native speakers of Russian who enroll in a Russian language course and fail to identify themselves to the Department engage in cheating and will be treated in accordance with the university policy on academic misconduct.

SLA100H1 Elementary Russian I[60P]

Basic features of the grammar. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. (May not be taken by students who, in the judgment of the Department, qualify for entry into SLA210H1 or SLA220Y1).

Basic features of the grammar. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. (May not be taken by students who, in the judgment of the Department, qualify for entry into SLA210H1 or SLA220Y1).

Russian Cultural History in Twelve Images An introductory survey of Russian cultural history through key images, exploring the historical, intellectual, artistic, and mythical significance of these images in Russian cultural identity and in foreign perceptions. Among the images are: Rublev’s “Trinity,” The Bronze Horseman, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and Tatlin’s Tower. Taught in English, readings in English. No prior familiarity with Russian language or culture is expected.

This course is designed for students with Russian background, students raised in homes where Russian is/was spoken, who speak or merely understand basic Russian but are otherwise illiterate in Russian (cannot/have difficulty reading or writing). This course helps heritage learners of Russian develop/maintain writing and reading skills as well as develop cultural literacy. (Online course in 2011-2012).

Emphasis on expansion of vocabulary, developing conversational and listening skills, and intensive practice in real-life situations. Offered as part of Summer Program in Russia. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Introduction to the Russian novelistic tradition at the height of its creative power. We examine the Russian novel’s universal appeal and influence, and its impact on modern art and thought. Authors may include (depending on instructor) Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Belyi, Nabokov, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn. Taught and read in English.

Continuation of development of proficiency in speaking, reading, listening and writing. Review the basic and learning of new grammatical and syntactical structures, study of word formation and acquisition of active vocabulary. Reading of classical, contemporary, adapted, and non-adapted literary and mass-media texts. Culture and listening through animation.

Usually offered during the summer through the Woodsworth Summer Abroad program. Content varies from year to year based on instructor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Distribution Requirement Status: Humanities Breadth Requirement: None

SLA234H1 Russian and Soviet Cinema[12L/24P]

A survey of the Russian cinematic tradition from its beginnings through the first decade following the disintegration of the USSR. The course examines the avant-garde cinema and film theory of the 1920s; the totalitarian esthetics of the 1920s-1940s and the ideological uses of film art; the revolution in film theory and practice in the 1950s-1960s; cinema as medium of cultural dissent and as witness to social change. Students also acquire basic skills of film analysis. Taught in English, all films subtitled in English.

The course examines the development of the nineteenth-century European novel in terms of changing representations of the family, with the Russian literary tradition as a case study. Topics include the aristocratic family, illegitimacy, adultery, social and political conflict, and the family as locus of inherited madness, degeneracy, and criminality. All readings in English.

SLA344H1 Studies in Film Genre: Russian and Soviet Approaches[12P/24S]

An examination of the understanding and practice of film genre in Russian and Soviet cinema. Various genres and generic hybrids – comedy, melodrama, action, war, horror, fantasy, etc. – are studied in the context of critical literature on the problem of film genre and against the backdrop of international cinematic traditions. Taught in English, all films subtitled in English.

A survey of Russian literature from1820-1900. Topics include: Romanticism and Realism; the myth of St. Petersburg; the Russian Empire and its borders; the individual and society; man and nature; the “woman question”; freedom and rationality. Readings may include: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Goncharov, Tolstoi, Turgenev, Dostoevskii, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov. Taught and read in English.

Artistic and intellectual life from the late 1880s until 1940. Topics include: Russia’s fin-de-siècle culture in European context; the main aesthetic and philosophical trends (Decadence, Symbolism, Futurism, etc.);experiments with narrative and genre in the prose of the 1910s-30s, in Russia and in emigration; conservative reactions to modernism; the modernist strategies of survival. Taught and read in English.

An exploration of the elements of the short story through close readings of works by 19th and 20th century writers. Stories in translation by Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Olesha, Babel, and others. All readings in English.

A survey of Russian-French intellectual, literary, and artistic contacts and mutual influences, from the 18th through the 20th centuries. Topics may include: transnational circulation of genres, styles, aesthetic programs, philosophical concepts, and political ideas; cultural tourism; cultural appropriation and misreading; direct contacts between French and Russian intellectual and artistic elites. Taught in English by a group of instructors. All readings in English. Students who read French and/or Russian are encouraged to read in the original.

History and Literature were always interconnected in Russia. Writers not only sought to reflect the society around them, but were themselves often social critics and political figures. The course examines key texts in Russian literary tradition both as works of art and as primary sources for the historian. All readings in English.

Fantastic and grotesque works by the most hilarious, obsessive, and delusional character in Russian literature, who teased, fascinated, and polarized readers. Gogol’s writings are examined through various theoretical approaches. Includes cinematic (Taras Bulba, Viy, Overcoat) and musical (Shostakovich’s “Nose”) re-creations of Gogol’s works. Taught in English, all readings in English.

A study of Vladimir Nabokov's novels written in Europe and the United States. Special attention is paid to the nature and evolution of Nabokov's aesthetics; the place of his novels in European and American literary traditions; Nabokov's creative uses of exile to artistic, philosophical and ideological ends; the aesthetic and cultural implications of the writers' switch from Russian to English. Novels studied: Defense, Despair, The Gift, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Lolita, Pnin, Pale Fire. Taught in English, all readings in English.

Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and short works. Dostoevsky's political, psychological, and religious ideas as they shape and are shaped by his literary art. Readings in English. Taught in English, all readings in English.

War and Peace or Anna Karenina, and some shorter works. Tolstoy's political, psychological, and religious ideas as they shape and are shaped by his literary art. Taught in English, all readings in English.

A survey of Russian culture and history of the 20th century through non-adapted readings and film. Development of advanced speaking, reading, listening and writing skills on a wide variety of topics. Work on grammar and vocabulary building. Subordinate and relative clauses, aspect, verbs of motion, participles and gerunds. Class is conducted primarily in Russian.

Expansion of vocabulary and development of conversational skills. Discussion of a variety of topics (history, culture, art, politics, law, social and economic problems, contemporary events). Class is taught in round-table format.

This course introduces Russian's sounds, structures, and alternations. Russian’s tricky morphologic alternations and their historical causes are explored while students master the hidden encoding of forms through study of the writing system, root structures, and variation.

SLA342H1 Theatricality and Spectacle in the History of Russian Culture: From Jesters to Meyerhold[24S]

We will study Russian public spectacles from the eighteenth century imperial court festivities all the way through the Revolutionary festivals of the 1920s. We will also look at the 2003 celebration of the 300 year anniversary of St. Petersburg and the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Special emphasis on those figures who influenced twentieth century theatre and film in the West (such as Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Sergei Diagilev). All readings in English. No knowledge of Russian required.

A survey of artistic and intellectual life in the USSR from the post-Stalinist “Thaw” period to the collapse of the Soviet empire and its cultural aftermath in the 1990s. Topics include: the recovery of suppressed cultural memory; the fluid boundaries between official and unofficial cultures; internal and external exile; Aesopian language; alternative modes of creation and dissemination (samizdat, tamizdat, unauthorized exhibitions and concerts, etc.); Russian conceptualism and post-modernism. Taught in English, readings in English.

Explores the development of the types of writing (e.g. chronicles, vitae, epics, tales, poetry) used to capture the cultural, political, religious, and aesthetic experiences of Mediaeval Rus' from the 11th to 17th century. Readings in English. Where appropriate, majors will read some excerpts in the original.

The course helps advanced heritage learners further to develop their active command of Russian. Special focus on speaking and writing skills, as well as cultural competence. Taught in Russian, all materials in Russian.

The prose, poetry and dramaturgy of the most prominent literary figures of the eighteenth century, including Karamzin, Lomonosov, Fonvizin, Derzhavin and Krylov; aspects of literature during the reign of Peter I; literature and satirical journalism during the reign of Catherine II. (Taught in Russian)

Syntactic structures and their relation to meaning and style, word order, intonation. Consolidation of morphology, vocabulary building through extensive reading. Translation, composition, and oral practice.

War and Peace in depth, and from various points of view, literary, political, philosophical, historical, and psychological. Various critical approaches; cognate literary works. Students are expected to have read the novel before the course begins. Readings in English.

A study of the main principles of Russian prosody (meter, rhythm, rhyme, phonetic instrumentation, verse, stanza, genre) in relation to the creation of meaning in a poetic text. The formal aspects of Russian versification are examined in their historical evolution from the 18th century to the present, in both “classical” and “experimental” poetic modes. Taught in Russian, readings in Russian and English.

The course will support students in gaining proficiency in presentational mode and in improvement of language competence for communication in academic contexts. Students will elevate their skills to the advanced level. Emphasis is on grammatical structures, syntax, lexicon, content organization, construction of complex presentation and expression of scholarly ideas and critical thought with accuracy and consistency in use of the Russian language. Offered online only.

Anna Karenina in depth, and from various points of view, literary, political, philosophical, historical, and psychological. Various critical approaches; cognate literary works. Students are expected to have read the novel before the course begins. Readings in English.

Explores Dostoevsky’s works through the lens of Russian and Western novel theory. Theorists include: Viacheslav Ivanov, Georg Lukacs and Mikhail Bakhtin. Topics include: genre, history and modernity; the novelistic narrator; novelistic plot; novelistic narrative; time and space; the generic history and prehistory of the novel; the novel and the self; the novel’s relation to the present; novelistic subgenres including the Bildungsroman; the novel’s simultaneous status as fragment and totality; and the particular and the universal in novelistic representation. Taught in English, readings in either Russian or English.

Social and political change, national and spiritual destiny in philosophical, journalistic and critical writings. From Slavophiles and Westernizers to revolutionary and apocalyptic thought. Reflections on Russia's position between Europe and Asia and on the place of Russia's East Asian neighbors in its history and culture. Taught in English, readings in English.

What is distinctive about Russian realism? The course will examine nineteenth century Russian realist fiction in relation to various theoretical approaches, from Erich Auerbach to Roman Jakobson. We will read contemporary works of criticism and thought from Russia and Europe that may have influenced it.

Basic phonology, orthography, morphology and syntax of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. Development of the four basic language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension.

The basic features of the grammar of the Macedonian literary language. Acquisition of essential vocabulary for practical conversation and for comprehension. Development of reading and writing skills. Open only to students with little or no knowledge of the literary language. (Offered in alternate years).

The Balkans, described as a bridge between the East and the West, are a fascinating case study of Byzantine, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian colonial legacy. This course presents the evolution of South Slavic cultural life under foreign rule. Topics of study include the Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romanticism, among others. Readings in English.

A survey of national revival and consolidation in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia through a chronological selection of literary texts (poems, plays, novels) from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. The course places South Slavic literary developments within the broader context of European intellectual history as well as Balkan cultural and political life. Taught in English, all readings in English.

An overview of the Yugoslav cinematic tradition from the 1950s onwards. Topics include Yugoslav film-making in the context of the European New Wave; cinema d’auteur (Makavejev, Pavlović, Kusturica); art and politics in a communist state; the struggle of experimentalism and traditionalism. Taught in English. All films with subtitles.

A survey of Croatian culture in literature, science, philosophy, and the fine arts. Topics include: the legacy of the Roman Empires; the medieval Croatian states; the Dalmatian Renaissance and Baroque; Humanism and Reformation: and national rebirth and Romanticism. Taught in English and readings in English.

An overview of Croatian literature from the middle ages to the present day, including drama, poetry and prose. Course follows a chronological order and focuses on the central currents in the literary history of Croatian literature. All classes and readings in English.

This course explores the experience and definition of exile in the works of South Slavic authors; from Miloš Crnjanski’s depiction of London to Danilo Kiš’s Parisian affair, and Dubravka Ugrešić’s weary travels in Berlin. We examine a variety of literary genres in light of exilic studies theory. Taught in English. Readings in English.

A general survey of Ukrainian culture through an examination of selected literary works and their social, political, historical, philosophical, and aesthetic contexts. The course covers the period from Kyivan Rus to the present. Readings in English. (Offered in alternate years)

A selection of twentieth century Ukrainian novels and short prose in English translation. From the avant-garde intellectual novel of the 1920s, through socialist realism, to the post-modernist prose of the 1990s. Authors include Pidmohylny, Antonenko-Davydovych, Honchar, Shevchuk, Andrukhovych and Zabuzhko.

A selection of literary texts depicting the experience and perceptions of Ukrainians in Canada from the first immigrants to the present. Texts include works originally written in English, French and Ukrainian, but all readings are in English. Authors include: Kiriak, Kostash, Ryga, Galay, Suknaski, Kulyk Keefer.

Contemporary Ukraine is an amalgam of various cultural traditions. This course examines its languages, religions, nationalities, literature, cinema, arts, print and broadcast media, regions, education, and social groups. Special attention is given to the factors that influence public perceptions of identity. All readings are in English.

Ivan Franko is one of the most important and innovative figures in the history of Ukrainian literature. This seminar explores a selection of the belletristic writings by this fascinating and prolific poet and novelist in the context of Ukrainian culture and politics in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Taught in English. All readings are in English.

This course traces the extraordianry development of Ukrainian prose since the collapse of the Soviet Union. We will explore post-modernist еuphoria, colonial angst, cultural entropy, hooliganism, national identity, gender issues, and other aspects of modern Ukraine. All readings in English.

This course introduces students to contemporary Ukrainian using approaches beyond grammar and traditional classroom interaction. Emphasis is on the enhancement of language skills in the context of contemporary Ukraine. Students develop practical skills based on traditional media as well as on multimedia resources, including those of the Internet.